Things Change
by Fickle Illusions
Summary: When Dimitri finds that his long-term girlfriend has been unfaithful, he walks out and doesn't look back. Until seven years later they find themselves crossing paths again. It's no secret that she wants him back but does he still feel the same way? One-Shot


**Hi Guys, **

**I was going through my old laptop and found this One-Shot I wrote about four years ago. I did have it posted a few years back under my old account Breatheifyoufinddimitrihot which is why it may look familiar. I'm still trying to recover that account and when I do, I'll merge my fics. Too the anon review, I am not steal because frankly my dear, it would be hard to steal your own work but thanks for trying to alert me anyway. Enjoy.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not in any way own Vampire Academy. All rights go to Richelle Mead.**

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**Dimitri's POV**

I was walking – almost running – into our house with the biggest grin on my face. I couldn't wait to show her my – our – new car. My leather duster flapped wildly behind me as I ran up the stairs, two at a time. She was probably in our bedroom, I figured. I was about to open the door when I heard her.

"How do you do it, Tasha?" the voice of Vasilisa Dragomir rang out.

"It's simple really," my girlfriend replied nonchalantly.

"Aren't you scared? At all?"

Pushing the door open slightly in order for a better idea of what was happening, I discovered the two – Vasilisa and Tasha – sprawled out across our bed. A few magazines had been discarded of to the edge of the bed and a couple of bottles of nail varnish lay scattered around. Tasha lay on her stomach, feet in the air while she painted her nails. Vasilisa on the other hand, was sitting up with her legs crossed, clutching a red velvet cushion.

"Not really," a flippant reply came.

Vasilisa laughed. "Well, you have guts, I'll give you that. I'd never be able to handle so many guys."

Every part of me froze. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't blink. Most of all, though, I couldn't move. I needed to leave more than anything, and yet I couldn't bring myself to move. Did this mean that there were other men in her life? No, it couldn't be – Tasha loved me. She always had.

"It's simple really. They get me and they're fine. No one really asks about what I do. As long as I don't ever let them meet, it really should be fine."

Vasilisa laughed again. "It must be fun. I mean, you know, doing something just so forbidden."

"Yeah," I could hear a smile in Tasha's voice. "And you get all these gifts, all these dates and I never have to pay for anything. You should try it. I won't tell Christian," she sang.

Her friend looked horrified. "No! He's your cousin, how could you say that? No. I love him!"

Tasha nodded her head and shrugged. "Okay. But if you ever change your mind . . ."

"I won't," Vasilisa laughed back. "Ever."

**One Week Later**

"Dimitri! You have to listen to me! It's not like that!"

I spun around angrily. "Oh? Well, I didn't think so either, Natasha! Until, I just walked in on you!"

Tasha clutched tighter to her robes, trying to pull it even tighter around herself. The front door slammed shut, indicating her other lover had just left.

Tears streamed down her face. "No! It wasn't like that! He . . . he forced me," she said thickly, swallowing.

"Forced?" I asked incredulously. "Forced! You actually have the audacity to lie to me again? I heard you. I heard you talking to Christian's girlfriend about your 'other' boyfriends! I thought_ I_ was the one who got it wrong!" I yelled at her. My control had long since broken and I just couldn't find it within me to put back together. I didn't _want_ to put it back together.

"Please!" she cried, sniffing. "I love you! Only you!"

"Apparently not," I muttered, giving up. Giving her one last disgusted look, I walked out.

**Seven Years Later**

"I've changed," she told me. Her icy blue eyes pierced into my own brown ones.

I went to turn around but she laid her hand on my shoulder, drawing me back. I huffed impatiently.

"What do you want, Tasha?" I sighed.

She glanced around the crowded park quickly, her eyes landing on a small family. A man and a woman, maybe in their mid twenties, stood close together with their arms wrapped around each other. The woman looked down at two of the children playing on the slide. They probably were her kids. The man, however, had his eyes glued to the woman's face, a look of love so obvious on his face.

Tasha turned back to me. "That could have been us, you know," she said wistfully. "_Still _could be us. I want you back, Dimka."

I closed my eyes briefly, thinking back to past memories – the laughs, the hugs, the lonely nights I stayed up late waiting for her- before reopening them. "When I walked out that night, Tasha, I knew what I was doing. I don't want you back," I told her firmly.

"But we were meant to be, Dimka! Is it because of who I used to be? Because I'm not that person anymore. Today, I'm choosing you. I still love you, Dimitri. And I want to be with you." She slid her hands slowly up my arms, and rested them on my shoulders. I shrugged her off harshly.

"Ice cream!" A young, familiar voice screamed at me before the weight crashed against me, causing us both to land on the snow covered ground.

The little girl sat up laughing, her dark brown eyes bright with happiness. She wrapped her small arms around my neck.

"We have ice cream!" the cheerful six-year old squealed with delight again.

I stood up, pulling her up in the process but before I could pick her up she'd run a few feet away from me. Both Tasha and I followed her trail to where her mother stood; holding the hand of a small boy aged four in her left hand and three ice cream cones in right one. The little girl said something, causing the older woman to laugh. She reached down and handed her an ice cream fondly.

Walking over to me she gave me a happy smile before handing me one of the two ice creams she had left. She tilted her head, a silent message passing between us. I nodded and her eyes gleamed.

"Boysenberry," she declared. "Your favourite."

I smiled and accepted it. "Than-"

"-We're kind of in the middle of a conversation," Tasha interrupted as her eyes scanned the woman before her. Deep brown eyes and even darker brown hair. That hair reached just past her waist, managing to put an even bigger emphasis on the woman's curvy figure. She wore a brightly coloured knit-cap and denim jeans with black trench coat flowing over the top her purple t-shirt. Tasha wrinkled her nose a little – something she'd always done when she was disgusted of whatever was put in front of her. "Besides, his favourite is chocolate."

The woman grinned at Tasha. "I do believe you're the one wrong, right, Dimitri? Maybe you mistook him for one of your other lovers," she laughed. "I guess it happens."

I laced one of my hands through hers and pulled her beside me so that I could wrap my arm around her. She kissed my cheek briefly and wrapped her own free arm around me. Tasha's face filled with outrage.

"People change," I told Tasha as I shrugged. "Maybe I liked chocolate once. It was never really my favourite but maybe you thought it was. If it was, it's not anymore. Roza, this is Natasha. Natasha this Rose."

Tasha hesitated before taking a step forward. Not liking the close proximity, the little boy cuddled closer into Rose before the girl grabbed his other hand and pulled him free.

"Mommy?" she asked looking up at Rose,

Rose unwrapped herself from so she could bend down to her level. "Yes, sweetheart?"

"Can we go play? I'll take care of Niko," she answered sweetly, even going so far as to hug her younger brother Nikolai.

Rose nodded her head. "Of course you can."

She squealed gleefully and hugged Rose. "You're the best, Mommy!"

"And what about your Daddy?"

Our daughter looked up at me, before flinging herself at my legs and hugging them tightly. "You're awesome too, Daddy!" she told me prior to hauling her little brother off.

Tasha cleared her throat, bringing the attention back to herself. Rose and I turned back to face her, Rose entwining our limbs once again.

"You were saying . . . "She prompted.

I smiled. "This is my Rose. My wife. And they," I gestured over to where our children were running around with three other boys. "Are our children Nikolai and Lanter." Tasha eyes widened. Then the anger set in. She glared at Rose murderously. I tucked Rose even closer into my side, not that she really minded.

"But . . . but Dimka, she herself is a child!" Tasha shrieked.

"Hey!" Rose shouted storming up to her. A few years back, when we'd first started dating Rose's age had been an insecurity for her. She'd always feared that I'd one day find someone older than her and more experienced and then take off with them. However, overtime she'd gotten over her fears, realising that I really did love her despite our seven year age gap. Still, if there was one thing she hated more than the ex who had broken my heart, it was my ex insulting her age.

"I'm fucking twenty-five! I'm not a child!"

"That proves it!" Tasha yelled back, turning to look at me. "She had a baby to trap you into staying with her!"

Even though I saw it coming, I didn't move to stop Roza as her fist collided with Tasha's nose, releasing a disgusting cracking sound.

"_I_ didn't need to trap him into a relationship! He stayed because he _loves _me!"

Tasha's mouth fell open. "He loves you?"

I nodded. "Yes, I do."

"Bullshit!" she screamed. "There is no way. How do you even know if he loves you, huh? Or that he ever did. Because he says and you believe?"

Rose sighed, frustrated. "Look lady, I don't care if you're my Husband's ex of the freaking President's. Here's the thing, Dimitri loves me. You cheated so you deal with that. You want to know how I know that he fell in love with me? It's because it took him a year to do so and once he did, he told me everything – about his past, you, his dreams, everything. I also know that he fell in love with me because after I got pregnant, he stayed. He didn't have to, but he did and even though neither of our children were planned, he never called either Nikolai or Lanter a mistake and I know he loves me now because every day he still proves it. You screwed up, Tasha and yes, I feel sorry for you because every day for the rest of your life, you're going to be missing out on an amazing man but that was your choice. He's mine now and you need to accept that even if you don't respect it," she sighed again. "And if you don't stay the hell away from us, I _will_ resort to using brute force."

Tasha's eyes widened and she took a step back from Rose, understanding Rose's threat clearly.

Roza's hand latched onto mine once more and she began to tug me back towards our children only to pause and turn her head towards Tasha once more.

"And Tasha?" she called.

Tasha's head snapped up from where we had left her, standing alone.

"Just so you know, my dad owns all four of the local hospitals. If anything were to . . . happen to you, I'm sure that he'd just love to have you around. I spend a lot of time around them too, so I'm sure we'd run into each other eventually."

I laughed outright at her threat, not doubting even for a second that Rose would hold back against Tasha.

"Come on," I murmured dragging her away. She snuggled into my side.

"Comrade?"

"Hmm?"

"You know I love you, right?"

I smiled and leaned my head down against hers as we continued to walk. "I love you too."


End file.
